The Holiday Party Before the Storm
by Musicstarnc
Summary: It the holidays and that means break! April's friend is throwing a party to celebrate. Though her brother, Kish, has been acting awfully suspicious as of late. Taruto's acting pretty weird too. What could be going on? April is determined to find out. But she may not like the answer she gets. Rated T for language. One-shot.


**This kinda just exists so I could practice writing with these characters. Two of which are going to be making an appearance in the next chapter of **_**Light My Heart.**_** I'm pretty sure it'll be obvious who but maybe not. Also, this is a good way for me to establish how the the main aliens are afilliated with each other. Most people seem to have the head canon that Kish is adopted and Taruto and Pai are blood-related brothers. Not that there's anything wrong with that head canon it's just not the one I prefer to use. And before any of you say it, yes I know that there is a wiki page that says they are brothers and Kish is adopted. But 1) wikipedia is not always correct and there's only one page that says it! Every single other one doesn't even give them a last name, forget about siblings. And 2) I read every single manga through looking for evidence of that and I got NOTHING. I know it's never said in the anime. It is not canon it's a head canon or fan canon or whatever you want to call it, so none of them are related here, be ready for that. ALSO HI I'M NOT DEAD GUYS YAY!**

The teacher clapped her hands to get everyone's attention... not that it worked. It was the last class of the day and everyone was excited to just leave for holiday break.

April watched the snow swirl outside trying to block out the noisy classroom. She didn't want to think about the holidays. Life at home had become so different without her mother. It had been years since she'd gone MIA, but things never got easier. That was especially true at the holidays. Her father was always working and Kish had become restless lately and had been disappering to go somewhere. He often came home in a bad mood and with mysterious injuries. He'd also been avoiding her lately. He knew she could simply compel him to confide in her with a simple command. It was kind of a damper on her mood to know her brother of all people was avoiding her for fear she'd use her power on him.

"Would it seriously kill them to at least try to listen to her!?" April turned to the familiar voice beside her - Junpei. He frustratingly ran his fingers through the lavender mop on top of his head. The stony blue irises of his eyes smoldered with a quiet rage, his fangs peeking through his lips where he ground his teeth in anger.

"Hmmm, I could make dramatic thunder and lightning punctuate her sentences. Then they'll listen," an evil smile marred Solana's pretty face. Her icy eyes lit with an insane happiness that would scare the crap out of anyone else. She twirled a lock of her blonde hair in her fingers, turning her now thoughtful gaze outside as though actually considering it.

"It's not worth it..." April's voice was so quiet she was almost sure no one heard her. Solana and Junpei knew better, they'd been April's friends for years. They were always listening carefully.

"April's right, Sully. You'd blow a hole through the roof with that lightning," Junpei's fingers now drummed on his desk, his feet tapping below it. That boy never could just sit still, he had to be doing something.

Solana turned toward Junpei and leaned perilously on the back of her chair, tipping it onto one leg. She crushed her hand over Junpei's, putting an abrupt stop to his tapping. April focused on how Solana's long fingers and creamy complexion differed from Junpei's olive skin and calloused hands. Solana was grinning like a maniac. "Maybe that's what I want to do," she countered. Her voice was light and playful, it had always been what April imagined a songbird's voice to be. Despite Solana having crushed that illusion long ago by proving just how horribly she did sing.

Junpei wrestled his hand out from under hers and flicked her in the forehead. The shock sent her toppling backward and she spilled onto the floor with her legs still on the chair. Thank goodness, she fell in such a way that the gray dress girls wore to school didn't expose anything more than her thighs. She swung her legs over and stood in one fluid, graceful motion and smoothed the gray tunic out. It did not escape April's notice that quite a few of their classmates were watching Solana.

Solana had always been something of an anomaly to the cyniclon populace. She had a perfect heart-shaped face, a button nose, full lips, pale blue eyes that shimmered like ice and long blonde locks that cascaded down her back. She towered over most of her peers being absurdly tall for her age but she was far from awkward about it. People turned to stare at her effortlessly perfect figure and she walked with the grace of a dancer, comfortable in her own skin. The strangest thing was she did not carry most of the more prominent cyniclon physical traits. Her ears were pointed but tiny, easily concealed by her hair. She had fangs but lacked the twin ribbon-like tails most cyniclons had. She couldn't fly and she couldn't teleport. She was definitely more humanoid than cyniclonian. But then there was her powers. Like some other cyniclons, Solana had a strange gift and in her case an especially powerful one - she could change the weather on a whim. It was awesome in theory but she couldn't control it. She wanted to blow away the snow clouds freezing out the masses? She brought on a gale storm complete with it's own twister. She wanted to bring out the sun a bit, to melt some of the ice? She brought on a full force heat wave melting the snow but also drying up precious few sources of water. She wanted a rainstorm to fix the heat wave she just caused? She brought on a freaking typhoon! She and April were in the same boat being potentially catatonically powerful, but useless as neither could control their gifts.

Whatever Solana lacked in power, she more than made up in character. She didn't just look weird but oddly alluring - that defined her personality. She was always cheerful, smiling at the worst of times and instilling smiles in those around her as well. She was crazy and she was just as childish as stubborn, but those traits made her lovable. She never failed to pull April out of a dark mood. And even now her doubts about the holiday break cleared in the light of Solana's sunny smile.

Just then the bell rang and kids funneled out the door with the teacher yelling after them to remember to stay safe. Junpei and April rose from their chairs, holding their bags and waiting for the crazy children to clear out of the halls.

Even at his full height Junpei stood just an inch or two shorter than Solana. He had a boyish charm to his face but he still looked for the most part pretty androgynous. His shoulders were small and square and he often crossed his arms over his chest as though hiding. He was always moving in some way, he never stayed completely still. Even now, his fingers played with the strap on his bag, and his heel tapped on the ground as he waited for the halls to clear. His face was more feminine than masculine, thanks to his impossibly long lashes. His fingers were calloused from him constantly tinkering with things. There wasn't anything Junpei couldn't fix. There was no puzzle he couldn't solve. Other than his massive intellect he wasn't a gifted cyniclon. He had an easy smile and a sarcastic sense of humor. He wasn't a shy person by any means but he remained rather introverted. He had a tendency to not say what he felt and often bottled up his emotions when angry, sad, or just when facing an unpleasant situation. He was generally a friendly, easygoing person. He evened out Solana's crazy with his calm demeanor. He'd always been nice to April, even when people avoided conversation with her to avoid control from her gift, he'd seek her out so she never felt alone. He could babble on forever about whatever new technology he was playing with and April was a good listener.

With the hall cleared the three of them descended toward it, bidding their teacher farewell as they passed her desk. She smiled and waved, wishing them a happy holidays.

"So, please tell me you both plan on coming to the party my family is throwing tonight. If I have to spend the whole night with my cousins and siblings alone I am going to die," Junpei asked casually. The hall was mostly empty save for a few stragglers, and his voice bounced around the long corridor. April hated these halls when few people hung around. If it was empty there was no one to accidentally control and if it was full no one would hear her anyway. With a few people around, even knowing she was in perfect control of her mouth and whether or not she opened it, there was always the chance of someone hearing her and her influencing them if she did say something.

"I'm definitely going. You invited me and my father and I doubt he wants to kick off the break with us sitting at home alone," Solana replied. "Besides he needs to get out more anyway and you have a HUGE family."

"Thank goodness," Junpei let out a breath of relief.

"If your family tries to ship us again, I am going to punch your siblings right in their little mouths," Solana threatened shaking her fist in front of her face with fake anger.

"Only if you promise me you'll let me record the moment for prosperity," Junpei replied excitedly. They all shared a good laugh at the thought of Solana punching any of Junpei's relatives. And even more at the though of Junpei holding a video of her doing so over their heads.

"What about you April?" Junpei's gaze turned to her, his face broken into an inviting smile.

What about her? She'd brought it up before and her father had seemed plenty excited to go. But he'd been working a lot lately. Being a single parent with two children was hard on him. Kish and April were both too young to actually work and receive pay. They could do it as a learning experience but they wouldn't be allowed to do anything taxing. And Kish... when he'd found out he glared at April like she was punishing him. He'd vehemently objected to it and was likely to do so again if she brought it up tonight. April didn't want to force him into anything and he had already proven he didn't trust her to speak plainly with him. Oh, what had happened to her once upon a time loving brother?

"I'm not quite sure..." she mumbled. She wanted to go. She wanted any excuse to be out of that house as of late.

"Did you forget to ask?" Solana questioned her. She looked genuinely puzzled, forgetting stuff like this was usually her job.

"It's not that I forgot to ask, just..." April explained what had happened the night she brought it up to Junpei and Solana. When she'd finished Junpei looked confused and Solana pensive.

Suddenly, Solana snapped her fingers in the air and stopped dead in her tracks. "I've got it! Your brother's been possessed by a Chimera Anima. That's why he's been such a grouch and doesn't talk to you. You've got the power to expel it and it likes it's new home. Hence, the avoidance of you. And he's always hurt because Kish is trying to free himself but he isn't strong enough!" She beamed waiting for April and Junpei's thoughts on her theory.

"Nice theory except I don't think Kishy trying to free himself would cause him physical pain. Not to the point of covering himself in scratches and the like anyway," April said slowly, making sure she didn't spellbind the two people in the world who accepted her as she was that weren't family.

"And I don't think a Chimera Anima can possess one of us. If that is the case then the person responsible for creating it is a sadistic bastard," Junpei added.

"Also, wouldn't he look more like a monster? He looks normal," April finished, unintentionally knocking Solana off her podium. She wasn't down just yet though.

"Well then he's possessed by a demon, obviously." Solana's bounce came right back as she started working through her newest theory.

Junpei rolled his eyes and turned to head back down the hall. April followed him. Solana ran yelling for them not to abandon her. She caught them easily on her long, sure legs.

"Tell you what, if you can come, we'll see you there. If not, then I'm sure Solana will kidnap you anyway," Junpei smiled at April. She returned it fully, thinking just how lucky she was to have them as her friends.

...

Later, April sat at her kitchen table frowning at music sheets. The house was empty, as usual, which meant she could practice without fear. She loved singing but always wound up controlling her audience when she practiced in front of people. The song in front of her was a simple ballad with a soft, somewhat sad melody. But the lyrics had always seemed beautiful in April's eyes. She peeked at the front door to ensure she was alone and began practicing.

_"Sleeeeeeeeeeep tonight, in star's embrace. Put your heart at ease. You might be small, heeeeeeeelpless, it's for your plight I grieve. And if one day, the fates allow us to meet again. I'd follow you, never to let you be stolen from me. I won't quit, I won't go away, my heart is yours for the rest of tiiiiiiiime..." _It was on that note she heard something fall to the ground and stopped immediately.

When she looked up at who had crashed her private concert, she was surprised to see Kish standing there. He leaned against the frame of wall where the living room became a kitchen. Tears leaked from his eyes. The thing he'd dropped had been his bag.

"KISHY!" She screeched, horrified. The liquid gold in Kish's eyes had frozen, his stare glassy. She ran over to him as quickly as she could. She needed to snap him out of it! She was far too small to shake his shoulders, April only came up to his chest. She sunk her fingers into the gray tunic he wore to school and began shaking him violently, all while screaming his name repeatedly.

He put a stop to that fast, putting his hands on April's small shoulders. "I'm not hypnotized, relax," he reassured her before rubbing his face with his sleeve. There was an ugly purple bruise under his left eye and a second one on his neck just below his adam's apple. His lip was split making his voice sound thicker than normal. His palms were red and where the skin on his arms peeked out from under the long-sleeved tunic she could see cuts. Some had started to scab but others were fresh. It made her heart ache to see him in this pitiful state.

He had to have teleported into the house because she hadn't heard the door open. It had to be at least an hour or two after his grade was let out of school. He was home earlier than usual from wherever he'd been sneaking off to and today he seemed to lack the irritable mood he'd had as of late.

"I'd forgotten how pretty your voice is when you sing..." the smile on his face was lit with pride. Something was up. There was no way her voice had suddenly made him less grouchy. No way, not with a song like that. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"Kishy...?" She asked, still somewhat frightened. Though now for the safety of her brother. What had he gotten himself into this time?

"I'm fine." He still seemed to think she was worried about controlling him. "Anyway, shouldn't you be getting ready for your friend's party? Dad'll be home soon. He really wants to go."

"I thought you didn't want to go," April said carefully. Her brother was a ticking time bomb when he was like this. Say one wrong thing and he would blow. She'd seen him lose control plenty of times, but he'd never put her in harms way and she had no reason to believe he would... until recently. He'd been so on edge she wouldn't put it past him to explode at her. Sure April could stop him with a command, but she'd hate to have to even go there with him.

He frowned at that, and pursed his lips as he braced himself for what he would say next. "I've been acting like a child as of late. I'm sorry I put you and Dad through that. I want to make it up to you both. And besides, we're family. We should be happy and spend time together."

April was ninety-nine percent sure her brother had an ulterior motive. He did seem genuinely sorry for his behavior, but had his own agenda for tonight. And somehow, going to Junpei's party coincided with that agenda. She didn't say anything else, but vowed to watch her brother carefully tonight. Maybe she'd find out where he'd been going and how he'd received those bruises if she played her cards right. Kish had a manipulative streak and, if he could do it, why couldn't she?

April had just been about to slip away to go find something nice to wear to the party when her father burst through the door with a huge grin on his face. He had a small box in his hands.

"Dad!" April ran over and gave him a hug. Snow clung to his coat and she managed to feel both cold with her face pressed to his freezing jacket and warm from his hug.

"Why aren't you getting dressed? We have a party to attend," His smile was warm and jovial. The gold in his eyes practically glowed with happiness. He stripped off his coat and hung it on the rack by the door. When he turned his eyes landed on Kish and the smile melted instantly. The air was silent for but a few moments but the tension that had filled the air dragged it out. "Alright, I want to know who beat you up, and I want to know now."

Kish offered a weak smile at his father. "No one. I'm fine, they look a lot worse than they actually are."

Their father sighed and ran his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair as he always did when frustrated. "April, go get dressed," his voice was unnaturally calm. April wasted no time hi-tailing it to the hall.

She never got to hear the conversation Kish and her dad had while she was gone. She'd retreated like a coward and dressed. She exchanged her school dress for a short red one. It had a white rounded collar with buttons on it and short puffy sleeves. It fell just above her knees and she grabbed a pair of white leggings to go underneath. She dug a pair of black ballet flats from the back of her closet that she hadn't worn in so long she almost doubted they would still fit her. Amazingly enough they did. She and her hair had a slight disagreement over what a braid was supposed to look like and eventually she gave up and just pulled it into a ponytail. Deciding she had given her brother and father enough time to have it out with each other, she chanced walking back into the living room.

Her father was nowhere to be seen but Kish was in the kitchen. He wore a black dress shirt and matching slacks. He seemed to be wearing his boots underneath. He frowned at a white tie he had knotted around his neck. His sleeves were rolled up and there were bandages from his wrist to his elbow wrapped tightly on both arms. He looked up when April walked in and smiled.

"And don't you look all nice," he commented, before returning his attention to the accessory that threatened to choke him if he continued to screw it up.

"Shut up. I see you're having a problem with your tie there. Want help?" April didn't know how to tie a tie, but she did know how to undo a knot.

"I got it..." he frowned just as a ripping sound came from the tie. He dropped it. "Okay, help me."

April got it loose as her father emerged from the hall in a dapper suit with a purple dress shirt and a black tie, jacket, and slacks. He wore a pair of loafers he usually saved for interviews. He smiled when he saw his kids all dressed up. "You two are so cute."

"Dad, please. I think I've reached an age where the word "cute" no longer defines me at this point," Kish sighed.

"Okay then how about pathetic? You should know how to tie that," He nodded at Kish's tie. Kish's face turned to a pout and his cheeks flushed pink. April giggled at the sight.

"Quiet you," Kish muttered under his breath and the smile that replaced his pout was his normal, playful smile. For a second, April almost believed her brother had come back. But the bruises were a sharp reminder he was planning something.

Their father fixed Kish's tie and then it was time to be off. They didn't want to be late afterall. Solana, thankfully, hadn't come to beat their door down just yet wondering if April was going or not. Junpei had been kidding earlier but she wouldn't put it past Solana to really kidnap her to go to a party.

...

They arrived late. By the time April and her family walked up to Junpei's front door the sun had set and the party was in full swing. His house was rather large as they go but had a rundown exterior and was in terrible need of a paint job. April knocked on the door.

When it swung open she was met with the face of one of Junpei's uncles. He was young, being maybe around eighteen with short-cropped purple hair with a single long piece hanging off the side and narrow navy blue eyes. The man was tall and pale and smiled when he saw April. She froze, she had seen his face plenty of times but couldn't remember his name for the life of her.

"Hello, Pai," Kish smiled enigmatically, saving April from a very awkward introduction.

"Well, well, I thought you three weren't coming tonight. Please come inside," he stepped aside to let them in.

"Thank you," April heard her dad say. She slipped past Junpei's uncle to take in the vast amount of people in the house. She knew that other people had been invited but _dang_. The place was crowded and someone sat on every reasonable surface they could find. Most of them she recognized as Junpei's family. Neither Junpei or Solana were anywhere to be seen in the crowd.

Someone tapped on April's shoulder and when she turned it was Pai. "Junpei and Solana are upstairs in Junpei's room," he told her. She waved her thanks before rushing up there. She cast a glance backward to Kish and her father but her father had disappeared, most likely into the kitchen. He'd brought home a pie which was undoubtedly for dessert here. Kish was chatting with some of Junpei's family. Nothing looked suspicious and she ducked into the upstairs hallway.

There was hardly anyone in the hall much to April's relief and she walked through it without any obstacles. Junpei's room was the last door on the right and she opened it without knocking. Junpei and Solana waited inside but they weren't alone. Thank goodness, April recognized the other two without difficulty.

"Hello," she said meekly, still peeking in from behind the door.

"APRIL!" Solana pulled her inside and slammed the door shut. "It's so loud out there. YOU CAME!" She then squeezed April in a bear hug that threatened to crush her bones to dust.

"Can't... breathe... need... air..." April dragged her words out and Solana let go. Junpei was the next to hug her.

"I'm glad you made it, it's not a party without you," he released her quicker than Solana had and didn't squeeze her when he hugged. His smile was so wide it was crinkling the corners of his eyes.

They were both dressed up nicely too. Solana wore an orange summer dress with a ruffled skirt that came to her knees and a pair of open-toe heels of a matching color. Her hair was also up in a ponytail. "How are you not freezing to death in that?" April asked.

"I asked the same question when she got here," Junpei said. He wore a white button-up dress shirt and gray slacks. He didn't have a tie and wasn't wearing shoes. His socks were mismatched.

"I'm fine. It's not THAT cold," Solana replied.

"It's below zero outside," Junpei raised a brow at Solana.

"Well, I'm not cold... so ha," Solana's reply was weak but her tone was confident and she stared Junpei down with a glare that should have made him squirm. Junpei stood his ground.

"You're weird," he replied simply and flicked her on the nose. She scrunched her face in rebuttal and would have gone on arguing if only she could come up with a counter argument.

"It's been a long while April, how have you been?" The other girl asked April from her perch on the edge of Junpei's bed. April knew her face well. She was the daughter of the man who had been her mother's tactician in the military. She'd met him and his family on more than a few pleasant occasions. Her name was Kirimi and the boy that sat next to her was her twin brother, Taruto. Kirimi had always been confident with herself and sharp as a tack for as long as April could remember. Actually, piano wire was a better analogy for her than a tack. She definitely took after her father where her brain was concerned. Her hair was long and chocolately, tied back in a braided pattern April was jealous of. Her face was angular and proud, her eyes a dark, earthy green. She wore a simple sapphire blue dress with a bow in the back that came down to her knees and white-knee-high socks with brown snow boots.

"I'm fine, how have you guys been?" April replied pleasantly. She squirmed under Kirimi's gaze. There was no malice in it but she could practically see smoke puffing out of her ears and gears turning in her head.

"We're good," Taruto replied quietly. He avoided her gaze which was already odd. He was something of a wild child and always had been. He was gifted like her, he could make any plant grow. He wasn't a master at it, but he could control it. Mostly he just kept the potted plants within their house from dying as practice but he couldn't make anything sprout outside. His amber gaze stared out the window as though his mind was millions of miles away. That scared April. He looked normal. His brown hair was groomed and in pigtails. He wore a white button up like Junpei but also had a red bowtie under the collar. His slacks were black and rolled up on his ankles as they were obviously a little big. There was a belt around his hips to keep his pants up, where his shirt was tucked inside. He looked guilty and April wondered why. His sister seemed to be wondering the same thing when her gaze turned searchingly to her brother.

"So, Jumpy, looks like you and your brother finally cleaned your room," Solana mentioned. Junpei shared a room with his older brother. Usually it was littered with wires and all kinds of other technological things. Tinkering with things was a hobby most of the family shared. Junpei's bed and desk were closer to the door and his brother in the corner.

"And as long as you don't open the closet door it will continue to look like we cleaned it," Junpei retaliated with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Slobs," Solana shook her head and tutted him as though disappointed.

"Hey! You're not much neater than us!" Junpei shot back at her.

"You two argue like an old mar-"

"FINISH THAT SENTENCE AND DIE!" Junpei and Solana cut Kirimi off in unison. Junpei was the subject of constant taunts from his family who expected him to propose to either Solana or April anyday now. They were all close friends and the family was split between shipping them. Junpei had made it perfectly clear he loved them as a best friend loves another best friend. April never minded the comments but Solana reacted loudly and angrily everytime, so his siblings taunted them every chance they got. Kirimi, however, had no idea this was going on and her face scrunched into a puzzled expression.

"I'm just sayin'..." she spread her hands and shrugged her shoulders in an offhand manner. He smile spreading as she fit that puzzle into place.

"And just what are you sayin'?" Solana shook a fist in the air, a sour expression on her face. She absolutely towered over Kirimi but was hardly intimidating. Even angry, Solana was breathtakingly beautiful. With her face scrunched up as it was, she looked more adorable than scary.

April burst out laughing just looking at her and all eyes turned to her before they started laughing too. Even Taruto chuckled from where he was brooding in the corner.

When April stopped laughing, she had a wonderful idea. "Hey, why don't we have a snowball fight outside?" She asked. April wasn't sure why but something inside her told her to make a pleasant memory with everyone present before something happened. She had a feeling it had something to do with Taruto and Kish's sudden change in mood. She wasn't sure what but something was going to happen and they were both involved somehow. Perhaps they were acting different for two different reasons, either way this marked person number two who had made a complete turnaround in character and she wanted to put an end to it. At least for one night she wanted to put an end to it.

"Outside?" Solana questioned. "Uh, April, we aren't exactly dressed for that sort of thing," she moved her hands up and down, gesturing to herself and the fact that she was wearing a dress and heels.

"Awww, is da big, bad Sowana scared of a widdle snow?" Junpei teased her with a taunting smile etching onto his face.

Solana rolled her shoulders back to stand at her full height. In heels, she was even taller. She again tried to look intimidating. That charade ended when her face mirrored Junpei's smile. "The Weather Maker fears nothing, especially snow!" She shot back at him. She collapsed back onto Junpei's bed and pulled her heels off. "These stay up here, though." She tossed them onto the floor and stood at her normal height once again, now barefoot.

"Then let's head outside!" Kirimi shot up, already working out a strategy to flatten them in a snowball fight. She grabbed Taruto's arm and pulled him to his feet rather violently.

"Hey, don't I -OW! KIRIMI THAT HURTS, NUMSKULL!" He shouted more obscenities at her as Kirimi dragged him out the door. April, Junpei, and Solana followed with smiles lighting their faces.

When they got downstairs, Kirimi was talking to one of Junpei's younger siblings: Keicha. Keicha was one of a set of identical twins, her duplicate, Kit, standing close by. Both wore sparkly princess-esque type dresses that looked more like costumes what with all the ribbon and added accessories. Keicha's was a jade green and Kit's a royal purple. Both had long curly locks of lavender that fell to their hips, olive skin, and slate gray eyes. Kit had her hair in a braided updo whereas Keicha's hair was down.

"April~" Kit's eyes lit with a smile and she ran over to wrap her arms around April's waist. It had been cute when she was smaller but now she came up to April's shoulder. April was terribly short; she knew that, but to see the seven-year-old catch up to her so quickly was a bit disheartening. April smiled through the bitter reminder that she was a tiny person and hugged Kit back. Kit gave a wide grin showing she was missing a front tooth and her fangs were starting to come in.

"You've gotten big since I last saw you," April commented. Kit's smile grew wider.

"Uncle Pai says I'm gonna be a giant when I grow up," she sounded proud of that. Most of Junpei's family fell toward the taller end of the height spectrum. There was no reason why the twins shouldn't grow up to be tall. April hadn't grown an inch since she was a fourth-grader. She tried to not be jealous.

"That'd be awesome," April smiled, genuinely happy for the little girl. Her smile continued to spread.

"HOW DARE YOU NOT INVITE US!" April and Kit turned to stare at Keicha who was pointing an accusatory finger in Junpei's face.

"Well, I'm not stopping you am I? If you want to join us then that'll be fine," Junpei's eyes crossed as he stared at Keicha's finger.

"Really!?" Her face lit with an enigmatic smile and when Junpei nodded in response she whooped loudly, threw her hands in the air, and dashed out of the room. She returned with Junpei's other siblings on her heels and a bunch of snow gear gathered in her arms. Junpei's oldest brother, Tadashi, was tall and lanky with fair skin and the same slate gray eyes as the twins. His hair was short and curly, a deep black color making for a sharp contrast to his skin tone. Next to him was Viola who had black hair as well but it was pin straight and only fell just beyond her shoulders, her eyes a pale, smoky blue. She was a decent height for her age at nine. Her face was peppered with freckles and she wore a determined smile. Tailing Keicha on his chubby, little legs was Jaye. His hair was a massive tangle of purple frizz and his eyes were so dark they were almost black. Jaye was five and the youngest of the bunch, but he was also the most competitive. He looked ready to have it out with his siblings.

After letting Junpei's siblings gear up they ran outside. "Okay, first, we need teams," Kirimi said matter-of-fact.

Junpei rubbed his arms where he had them crossed over his chest. He hadn't grabbed anything other than his boots and the expression on his face said he was sorely regretting it. The air had a bite to it only freezing weather could bring. Most of their faces were already turning a ruddy shade of red. "How about us five versus my siblings?" Every word was visible with puffs of air streaming from his mouth in the cold.

"I have no problems with this," Tadashi chimed. The others muttered similar grunts of agreement.

"Wait! You guys are older than most of us!" Jaye piped up. He had a point.

"Oh, Tadashi evens you guys out, he's got quite a few years on me," Junpei replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. Junpei, Solana, April, Kirimi, and Taruto were all eleven; Tadashi was fourteen and would be fifteen soon enough.

"Yeah. Besides it's not like we're deciding the fate of the cyniclon race here; it's just a snowball fight," Viola threw in. Jaye jutted out his bottom lip like he always did when he knew he wasn't going to get his way and gave up. Viola's face lit with a victorious smile.

"Okay then!" Kirimi clapped. "From here on out: THIS IS WAR!" She pumped her fist in the air before diving into a foot of snow, pushing it forward and smoothing it as she went. Junpei's siblings saw her actions and began doing the same. April and company shared a look of determination to win before jumping to help Kirimi. Junpei and Solana helped her make the fort while Taruto and April began making snowballs to throw.

Even as he worked to form the snow beside April he seemed distracted. A frown was still etched onto his face. "Taruto," April called. His head snapped up to stare at her instantly. She knew it was her ability making his name a magnet pulling his attention to her. She spoke slowly, so he would know to steel himself from her. "What's going on? You aren't acting like yourself. Usually you'd be all over something like this, throwing friendly fire at Kirimi and preemptive shots at them," she nodded in the direction of Junpei's siblings. "You're scaring me. Where's mischievous Taruto? Playful Taruto? What happened to you?"

His gaze dropped. "I didn't want to make anyone upset..." he muttered. Okay, freaky, usually he laughed when someone got all emotional like this. But then April realized he wasn't guilty or sad about anything. He was terrified.

His whole body shook and it wasn't from the cold. His knuckles were white and the blood looked like it had been drained from his face. His pupils were dilated and he'd been gnawing on his lip recently. He only did that when he was anxious. His voice shook when he spoke. How had April not noticed when she first saw him?

"Please, don't make me say it," he pleaded. He almost looked like he wanted to cry. "Kish wants to explain it to you. He hasn't found the time, and he wasn't even sure until earlier today." Sure about what? Kish had been hiding something! And Taruto knew exactly what it was. Her heart sunk, he'd really been involved. She was correct in assuming the two were associated somehow with whatever this was, and it pained her to know she was right.

It didn't hurt quite as much as realizing her brother didn't even trust her enough to tell her the situation sooner himself though. She unfortunately knew her brother and she knew he'd wait until both she and her father were in a good mood. And he'd wait until it was too late to change the situation so they had no choice but to let him do as he pleased. Kish was great at being three steps ahead of April and her father when he made a decision he knew they'd object to, and all so he could continue to pursue it. That just begged the question: what stupid, potentially dangerous thing had he gotten himself tangled in this time?

It was then she figured out his reasoning for wanting to go to the party; he was going to tell them tonight. They'd both wanted to go. They'd be happy and full and tired when they got home. Which meant that whatever was going to happen, it was going to happen soon. Very soon.

April was wrestled from her unpleasant thoughts as a snowball collided with the side of her face and the jarring cold brought her reeling back into reality. Her own fingers had gone numb from holding a lump of snow for so long. Without thinking, she launched it back at her assailant, nailing Viola in the chest. The battle was in full swing. Their fort had been finished and all were mercilessly throwing snow at each other. Every single one of them had smiles on their faces with the exception of she and Taruto. It almost made her wish she could go back to knowing nothing.

Taruto plastered on a fake grin as playful and mischievous as always and began pelting Junpei's siblings with snow. His face was still pale, his eyes still wide. If April hadn't bothered to talk to him she probably wouldn't have even noticed a difference. The sudden change to normal put everyone back at ease, most noticeably Kirimi. They'd fallen for his charade and she hoped that whatever this was, it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

A cease fire was eventually called. Most of April's team, herself included, had blue lips in addition to numb hands and feet. Their clothes were soaked and everyone's teeth chattered uncontrollably. Junpei's siblings had won simply by being better prepared. They had more than a fair share of snow sagging their shoulders down and were shivering just as badly as April's team. They'd walked through the front door for warmth just as Junpei's mom rounded a corner to tell them dinner was on.

She was a pretty woman with vibrant purple hair falling halfway down her back and a motherly smile that could warm even the coldest of nights. She wore a simple black gown which complimented her gray eyes nicely. She ushered them into the makeshift dining room (someone just pushed all of the furniture in the living room back to make room for everyone and set out tables) and seated them all at the last table.

April was squished between Junpei and Solana at the very end with Kirimi and Taruto across from them. Junpei's siblings filled in the other seats with the twins and Jaye sitting beside Kirimi and Taruto, and with Tadashi and Viola taking the seats next to Junpei.

She made quick work of finding Kish. He was chatting with Pai. She wasn't quite sure what they were talking about but from the nervous way Kish's eyes darted about the room it had to be about whatever he was planning. They kept darting to one side of the table in particular. Near Pai sat Junpei's parents. His father was a stocky, jovial man who always had a bright smile on his face not unlike that of a mad scientist. He had thick black curls and dark eyes that lit up when he talked with someone or had an idea.

April's eyes followed Kish's nervous gaze straight to her father on the opposite end of the table. Kish sat far enough away where he was sure he wouldn't be overheard. Their father was laughing at something. Taruto and Kirimi's parents sat close by. Taruto's father was a rather large, muscular figure, and hard to miss. He was well built and had brown curls on top of his head the same color as Taruto's hair and deep green eyes. They had a sharp calculating look to them, even from far away. His expression softened them a bit, his face was split in a huge almost childishly happy smile. The twins' mother was small and curvy with short honey-blonde hair that was straight and fine. She also had extremely expressive amber eyes. She was laughing too and her eyes were crinkled so close together they almost looked closed.

April's expression must have been pretty sour because it shook her when she heard Solana casually ask her if April had somehow swallowed a lemon while she wasn't looking. April laughed off the remark and instead focused on making conversation with her friends. She was here for them and if she was going to figure everything out tonight there was no point in staring Kish down.

The food was served and she was amazed at just how many vegetables there were. Those were a rare commodity as processed food or meat were easy to cultivate. But plants wouldn't grow with an environment as unstable as theirs. One day it could be hailing and the next sweltering. Any plant life on Cynic that managed to beat the odds was sacred. She'd heard that more cyniclons with gifts like Taruto were cropping up in larger numbers at some point. Perhaps in some off-hand remark her brother had made. He was into stuff like that. April knew better than anyone how much of an economic and political nerd Kish could be.

Taruto was blushing a deep crimson while Kirimi patted his back with a prideful smile lighting her face. His family must have brought the veggies and Taruto must have grown them practicing his gift.

"Guys I know it's, like, the greenest thing you've ever seen but how about eating it instead of staring at it?" Taruto only sunk deeper into his chair as he said this.

"Taruto's right! We're here to celebrate and any halfway decent celebration requires food so let's eat!" Solana cheered. They all joined her and Taruto let out a sigh of relief, his face returning to its normal shade.

The holiday they were celebrating was one of the very few holidays the whole cyniclon populace took part in. It was a week off of school and most forms of work (with some obvious exceptions) to celebrate survival. When they'd first arrived on this planet the constantly changing climate eliminated most of their kind. Within a week it had killed nearly three fourths of all of them... or rather what was left from Earth. Those who had survived built a new civilization on Cynic. A tradition was born where after each year those alive would spend the week with people they cherished. They would get time to relax and reflect that they'd survived another year on this hellish landscape and on the people they loved who had survived with them. It became a holiday that people looked forward to. It was the only time of the year complete strangers could pass one another on the street and both smile simply because the other was there and both were alive. It didn't have a name, and didn't need one. It simply existed to spread a sense of gratitude for life.

April smiled. A fake smile, but a convincing one. She loved every person in the room to an extent. And they were all here and all were healthy. She tried to focus on that and shoved down her ever-growing anxiety toward what her brother had to say.

After dinner came dessert. April poked absently at a cake. It was her favorite too, strawberry shortcake. The strawberries were fake though, real ones wouldn't grow on Cynic. She wondered what a real strawberry tasted like but figured she'd never get to know and accepted it. Junpei and Solana noticed, despite April's best efforts, that she was troubled and made every attempt to distract her. They made horrible jokes they knew only April would laugh at. They poked and prodded and tickled her hoping to drown out her fears with laughter. But they eventually gave up when nothing worked, sending questioning glances between her and Kish.

The party came to an end far too soon in April's opinion. After dessert people immediately started leaving, worried about the snowstorm. April's father was no exception to this, considering they didn't live especially close to Junpei. April gave her friends a quick good bye and wound up being smushed in a sandwich-hug between them. Solana squeezing hard and lifting her off the ground and Junpei gripping her sleeves - a telling sign he was worried for her and would be there for her if she needed him when she voiced her fears.

Junpei and Solana looked like they wanted to say something or even go with April seeing the clear discomfort and anxiety in her movements and facial expressions. But they set her down without protest and let her leave with her family, watching through the curtains and waving as she trudged through the snow beside her brother and father. Both of their brows creased with concern for her.

It was almost midnight when April's father threw open the door to their home. He marched straight for the kitchen to pull of his shoes. April waited but Kish didn't make any move to confess so she started toward her bedroom intent on changing into something warmer and putting some feeling back into her numb limbs.

"April, Dad, there's something I need to tell you," Kish stood in the archway to the kitchen.

April froze mid-step just as she would have gone into the hall. She _so_ called it.

"Can't this wait until morning, Kish? I'm tired, your sister..." their father moaned. He was already sitting in the kitchen massaging feeling back into his feet. His expression said they hurt from wearing those shoes all night.

"It can't," Kish said plainly. He swallowed nervously but his expression was serious.

"I wanna hear it," April turned back toward Kish and stared at him, waiting. So what if she was tired and scared of what he had to say? Curiosity may have killed the cat and April was beyond curious at this point but her nerves were frayed from waiting and she couldn't stand it anymore. No matter how bad whatever Kish was going to say was, she absolutely needed to know.

"All right, then," their dad yawned and stretched. His eyes fell on Kish, waiting for what he had to say.

"I..." Kish stuttered. He had looked so sure a second ago but he now appeared to be having second thoughts with their eyes on him.

"Out with it," April barked. Her voice was quiet but her tone was fierce. She knew her power would activate leaving Kish no choice but to obey. She didn't care at this point.

"I have been selected to go on the Earth mission for Deep Blue, so that we might have a better future."

**TA DA! IT'S DONE! IT'S FINALLY FUCKING DONE! I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS SINCE CHRISTMAS VACATION! I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW! I do hope this wasn't too long for anyone, I kinda got carried away... But yea, leave your thoughts in the reviews for me please? Which of the characters introduced here do you guys think are going to make an appearance in **_**Light My Heart?**_** If you guess correctly then you get bragging rights I suppose. And internet cookies. Or brownies. Or pie. Whatever you want. Now if you'll excuse me I have lots of fanfic reading to catch up on. MUSICSTARNC AWAAAAAAAAAAAAY~ Oh, and if any of you were wondering the song April sings I imagine it to the refrain or chorus or whatever of the song _All Our Days _by Casey Lee Williams. **


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